The Magic of Chivalry Just Got a Bit More Magical

Torn Banner Studios, acclaimed developer behind Chivalry: Medieval Warfare are making a new game, to be called Mirage: Arcane Warfare. Brutal multiplayer hack-n-slash Chivalry has been beheading the competition on Steam for three and a half years, racking up a port to last- and current-generation consoles along the way. With such a success at their back, Torn Banner has announced Mirage: Arcane Warfare, to serve as a successor to Chivalry, after being in development for nearly two years.

Drawing on inspiration from Persian/Mesopotamic cultures, Mirage sets two opposing factions against one another as they struggle to control and wield magical powers. Each faction will have their own classes with their own skillsets and weapon usage, but rest assured, the skilful dismemberment found in Chivalry will return, though now players will be combating with both swords and magical powers. Mirage also represents Torn Banner’s leap to Unreal Engine 4, ensuring that their game will have some of the best lighting and rendering techniques available today.

The announcement trailer did garner some criticism from some members of the community, perhaps as they were expecting the announcement of Chivalry2, or the initial look seeming as though it were just Chivalry with a fresh coat of paint and some magic added. To this end, the team did say that they wanted to try something new, and the versatility that magic affords to introduce new combat mechanics means that the game will feel familiar to some players, but everyone will find a new way to play.

Personally, I’ve always been enthralled by the world of Chivalry. Having never played it myself, at first it didn’t seem more than a dumb game where you whack people with maces until their lower half flies off, or get skewered by arrows from an enemy some 300 yards away. But it never sounded as though the people who played it ever stayed unreasonably angry for long, and whether this is due to the cathartic violence, or the sheer lunacy of some of the battles, Torn Banner is to be commended. Mirage: Arcane Warfare is aiming for a 2016 release, and will be 29.99 USD, and be releasing first for Windows, and possibly Mac, Linux, and consoles in the future.

Official Press Release

TORONTO, CANADA, March 9th, 2016 — Torn Banner Studios, the creators of the popular first-person medieval combat simulator Chivalry: Medieval Warfare are proud to finally reveal to their fans a first look at their upcoming magic and blood-soaked title, Mirage: Arcane Warfare.

In Mirage: Arcane Warfare, the calm of a strange fantasy world is shattered by ruthless civil war. Warriors armed with steel and magic bring violence and death as they do battle across a fantastical Arabian and Persian-inspired setting of desert sands, market bazaars and grand palaces. Built using the powerful new capabilities of Unreal Engine 4, Mirage: Arcane Warfare presents visually stunning backdrops to some viscerally brutal multiplayer combat.

“Our last game Chivalry was about chopping off people’s heads with a sword. Mirage takes that core gameplay DNA and explodes with a range of new bloody, brutal combat possibilities thanks to the addition of powerful magic” said Steve Piggott, Torn Banner CEO and game designer on Mirage: Arcane Warfare. “Mixing in the elements of fantasy and magic allow us to add entirely new components and levels of complexity to that core team-based combat concept that we find so much fun to play.”

“Our artists have created a rich and unusual world in Mirage, full of colour, character and a unique setting that is so rarely explored in video games,” according to Torn Banner environment artist Lucas Annunziata. “Working with Unreal Engine 4 has not only helped us bring to life the exotic locales of Mirage, it also gives us the tools to make magic effects that dazzle and bloody gore that make us cringe.”

Slated for release on PC through Steam later this year, Mirage: Arcane Warfare will feature a range of diverse player classes each with their own unique weapon and skill sets, exotic fantasy locales, multiple multiplayer game modes including objective-based challenges, brutal gore and a host of other innovative new features. Currently in development, Torn Banner will roll out more information and progress about Mirage: Arcane Warfare in the coming months.